2012 marked by tears, drought and change

A selection of news stories that captured attention locally and beyond

By Journal-Advocate staff

Posted:
12/31/2012 10:59:05 AM MST

As 2012 comes to a close, it's time to take a look back at some of the big local news stories of the year.

The year started out with a tragedy -- the death of Caliche High School student-athlete Cole Rhodes, in a car accident on his way to school. His passing was a blow to his fellow students and teammates, who dedicated the basketball season they were in the middle of to him and went on to win a state championship. It also inspired a fundraising drive to build a new concession stand and bathrooms at the Caliche football field.

Sterling had its fair share of unusual happenings and odd news in 2012, including a miles-long trail of corn mash left by a truck making a delivery from the Sterling Ethanol plant to a feedlot west of Sterling.
(Journal-Advocate file photo)

More tragic news followed shortly after, when the body of 3-year-old Caleb Pacheco, who had not been seen by family members for about a year, was discovered below the trailer home he once shared with his mother, Juanita Kinzie. As the community paid tribute to the lost toddler with stuffed animals left at the site and a candlelight vigil, Kinzie was charged with first degree murder of a victim under the age of 12 by one in a position of trust and concealing death. Although her preliminary hearing wasn't set until June, in April, Kinzie pleaded guilty to lesser charges of murder in the second degree and child abuse resulting in death. She was sentenced to 32 years in prison, with the possibility of parole after 24 years.

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The 2012 election season got underway in February with the Republican caucus leading the way. While the presidential election dominated national news coverage much of the year, Logan County voters were making decisions on local leadership much earlier. In March, county Republicans put Gene Meisner on the ballot for District 1 commissioner, opting not to advance election bids from Forrest Hershberger or Patrick Lawson.

The discovery of the remains of 3-year-old Caleb Pacheco prompted an outpouring of support from the community, which came together for a candlelight vigil and left behind hundreds of toys and stuffed animals at the address where his body was found.
(Journal-Advocate file photo)

Commissioner Debbie Zwirn lost her re-election bid in the Republican primary in June to challenger Rocky Samber, who went on to defeat Democrat Cody Engelhaupt in November. More changes were in store at the local government level, when both Hershberger and Mayor Rocky Joy announced their resignations from the Sterling City Council. Hershberger left due to a new job, and Joy resigned after his wife, CEO Michelle Joy, took a new job in Greeley. Council member Heather Brungardt became Sterling's new mayor, and Dan Torres and Alice Pitcher took the vacant seats on the council.

Despite a February snowstorm that closed schools and shut down area roads, early 2012 saw a warmer-than-average winter, with very little snowfall, that was a precursor to the drought that has impacted the region through the rest of the year. Logan County was classified as abnormally dry -- the first of five levels of drought listed by the U.S. Drought Monitor -- by the end of March. Conditions worsened to moderate drought in May, and the drought reached severe levels by mid-June. In July, amid record-high temperatures, conditions were listed as extreme drought, with areas of exceptional drought appearing in the county before the end of August. While parts of Logan County have seen some improvement since September, when the entire county was affected by exceptional drought, the county remains under extreme to exceptional drought.

The Sterling Planning Commission has made significant strides forward this year on an update to the city's master plan, starting with selecting McCool Development Solutions, LLC as the consulting firm to guide the process. Since that June decision, the group has been working to engage the public with a series of workshops, roundtable discussions and stakeholder meetings to determine what future development should look like in Sterling. In a similar vein, work on forming a historic district in downtown Sterling -- as recommended by the community development panel that included McCool -- took a step forward when funding was procured to have a survey done of downtown buildings to see which might qualify for historic registry.

Wildfire in the Fort Collins area led to the relocation of the HITS Triathlon to North Sterling Reservoir in July. While HITS organizers have decided not to return next year, the Sterling Lions Club is planning a mini-triathlon in 2013.
(Journal-Advocate file photo)

In the midst of the Logan County Fair's celebration of "Country Roots and Cowboy Boots," agriculture officials raised an alarm about an anthrax outbreak in the Crook area that killed more than 50 cattle. It was the first anthrax outbreak in Colorado in more than three decades. In the end, the outbreak led to quarantines at four sites; the last of the quarantines was lifted by the end of September. Health officials determined there was minimal health risk to the public and administered preventative doses of antibiotics to anyone who had come in contact with the infected carcasses during the cleanup process.

Northeastern Junior College welcomed a new president at the beginning of 2012. Jay Lee was appointed by the Colorado Community College System to fill the shoes left vacant by the departure of Lance Bolton, who in 2011 took the top job at Pikes Peak Community College. Lee arrived in March, taking the reins from interim president Scott Stump. Lee came to Sterling from North Idaho College in Boise, where he served as Vice President for Instruction.

The start of the school year meant a big change for student athletes at Sterling schools, who face a new raft of competition with a move to the Patriot League. Declining enrollment put Sterling High School just under the limit for the league, which competes at 2A in football and 3A in all other sports (except tennis and golf). The change impacted the SHS football schedule as the Fort Morgan Mustangs opted not to include a game against the Tigers in their season.

The Sterling community was shocked and saddened when the body of a 13-year-old boy was found in Columbine Park in September. Trae Schumaker died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, prompting RE-1 Valley to provide counselors and mental health professionals for students and staff at Sterling Middle School where he attended. Rural Solutions, which provide resources for teens at risk of committing suicide through the Northeast Colorado Second Wind Fund, also offered training for students on depression and suicide prevention.

In December, the discovery of a body at Sterling Housing Authority led to the arrest of Roger Louis Archuleta. The 64 year old was charged with second-degree murder and first-degree assault in the death of 47-year-old Mikel Haynes, who may have been staying with Archuleta in his apartment. Archuleta is due to appear in court again in March 2013.

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